The fifth season of Chicago Med, an American medical drama television series with executive producer Dick Wolf, and producers Michael Brandt, Peter Jankowski, Andrew Schneider and René Balcer (uncredited), was ordered on February 26, 2019. This season marks the death of cardiothoracic surgeon Ava Bekker portrayed by Norma Kuhling, and the departure of surgeon Connor Rhodes portrayed by Colin Donnell as well as the arrival of Trauma Surgeon Crockett Marcel portrayed by Dominic Rains[1] The season premiered on September 25, 2019.[2]
On March 13, 2020, the production of the fifth season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
This season also includes the series' 100th episode.
Cast
Main characters
Nick Gehlfuss as Dr. Will Halstead, Supervising Attending Emergency Physician
Yaya DaCosta as Emergency Department Nurse April Sexton
Torrey DeVitto as Dr. Natalie Manning, Emergency Medicine/Pediatrics Attending
Colin Donnell as Dr. Conor Rhodes, Attending Trauma Surgeon (Until episode 1)
Brian Tee as LCDR Dr. Ethan Choi, Attending Emergency Physician
Following the car accident, Dr. Manning suffers a traumatic head injury and Dr. Halstead blames himself. Trauma surgeon Dr. Crockett Marcel and Dr. Halstead are suspicious of Phillip when he claims he and Dr. Manning are engaged and tries to order Dr. Halstead away from her care and life. Dr. Rhodes believes Dr. Bekker caused his father's death, but the administration seems to suspect Dr. Rhodes. When they learn the insulin overdose contains traceable amounts of chromium, Dr. Bekker takes her own life. Meanwhile, Dr. Choi and April deal with a pregnancy scare while treating a young patient who may be going blind and Maggie confronts her cancer diagnosis. Dr. Charles cuts his honeymoon short to treat a patient with potential schizophrenia. Unable to get over what happened, Dr. Rhodes resigns and leaves Chicago after saying goodbye to Goodwin and Dr. Latham, who admits he's accepted Dr. Rhodes as a friend.
This episode marks the final appearances of Dr. Connor Rhodes (Colin Donnell) and Dr. Ava Bekker (Norma Kuhling) and the first appearance of Dr. Crockett Marcel (Dominic Rains).
During a stormy night in Chicago, the power goes out at Gaffney and chaos ensues. Dr. Marcel and Dr. Sexton are forced to perform surgery in the dark. Dr. Manning gets trapped in an elevator with a patient who needs emergency surgery. Dr. Choi trains a new set of residents while Dr. Halstead, Maggie, and Sharon tend to a series of students who are having multiple seizures and suspect it might be an outbreak.
April and Dr. Marcel get off to a rocky start when tending to a patient who performed her own childbirth. Dr. Choi deals with a patient who has terminal cancer trying to deliberately end his own life. Dr. Manning treats a patient with second degree burns. Maggie trains a new nurse whose near-constant referencing of her credentials unnerves Maggie. Also, after falling and fracturing her wrist at home, Dr. Charles' wife Caroline wants surgery to repair it.
Panic and terror continues to ravage Chicago as more victims die from a deadly flesh-eating bacteria outbreak. The Chicago Police Department’s Intelligence unit investigates and suspects the outbreak might be an act of terrorism, as it is only affecting two hugely populated places in the city. Meanwhile, Sharon deals with the press and fumes when her complete remarks aren't included in stories. The episode ends with Dr. Halstead catching one of the University researchers destroying evidence, thus making the researcher the prime suspect, especially after knocking Dr. Halstead out with a heavy lab instrument.
Dr. Marcel and Dr. Choi don’t see eye to eye when treating a patient with chronic pain, with Dr. Marcel recommending surgery. Dr. Manning is forced to take a drastic measure when treating a child patient whose parents do not believe in Western medicine. Dr. Halstead tends to a patient who is dealing with shortness of breath. Meanwhile, Maggie continues her chemotherapy treatment, but contemplates revealing her diagnosis to the staff.
April and Dr. Sexton stumble upon an assault in progress in an alley. They take the victim to get checked out and discover that she was about to be initiated into a gang. Also, Dr. Manning continues to struggle to find a diagnosis for a young patient after consecutive misdiagnoses and comes to a crossroads in her relationships with both Phillip and Dr. Halstead. Dr. Marcel reveals his suspicions of Phillip to Dr. Halstead. Meanwhile, Dr. Choi and Dr. Charles tend to a patient who is transitioning. Also, Sharon reconsiders reuniting with her ex-husband Bert.
Dr. Halstead and Dr. Charles deal with a patient who believes that he is a vampire. Dr. Manning and Elsa Curry deal with a patient with respiratory issues. Dr. Choi's treatment of a military amputee is blocked when a group of military officers escorts his patient back to base. Meanwhile, Maggie meets a man while at chemotherapy and also hosts a crawfish party along with Dr. Marcel. Also, April and Ethan discuss having children in their future.
Maggie makes an unethical decision when she discovers that her new friend Ben has contracted measles. Meanwhile, Dr. Choi and Dr. Charles deal with a patient who is a social media influencer using his followers to make medical decisions on his behalf. Also, Dr. Halstead treats a patient with a new kidney, but discovers that it is failing her and she might have to go back on both the transplant list and dialysis. Also, Dr. Marcel operates on April's brother, Dr. Sexton, after he is violently assaulted.
As Dr. Manning treats Phillip's daughter, who he has abandoned, she begins to regain her memory of the night of the accident with Dr. Halstead and realizes she made a mistake, especially after the baby's relatives declare Phillip to be a far less than truthful man. Meanwhile, April receives news that she has a low chance of conceiving a child naturally, putting her relationship with Ethan at risk. Maggie is hopeful when her boyfriend Ben's health begins to improve. Also, Dr. Charles continues to care for his wife CeCe as her health deteriorates.
April deals with the fallout from her kiss with Dr. Marcel and considers telling Ethan. However, she gets surprising news from Ethan himself. Meanwhile, Dr. Halstead tends to a patient he dealt with in the past who now suffers from a drug problem. Dr. Manning treats a child of one of Dr. Halstead's patients. Dr. Curry tries to use an unorthodox phone app when treating a patient with panic attacks. Also, Dr. Charles mourns the loss of his wife CeCe.
The team at Gaffney Medical Center is put on high alert when a plane crashes at O'Hare Airport with one of their own, Dr. Abrams, listed as one of the victims. As Dr. Marcel and Dr. Choi tend to the unidentifiable patient's treatment, Abrams' wife shows up and immediately wants to pull the plug. Meanwhile, Dr. Manning finds a baby alone in a freezing car and later discovers that the child belongs to the COO, who is going through a divorce. Dr. Sexton and April tend to a patient who gave birth to a baby which, test results show, is not her biological child. Also, Dr. Halstead and Dr. Charles try to spearhead a safe injection site within the hospital.
Dr. Marcel and Dr. Manning make difficult decisions when two children are impaled by rebar at a school bus accident. Meanwhile, Dr. Halstead's side project begins to take a toll on his position when Dr. Charles gets involved. Also, Maggie treats an old friend.
April, Dr. Choi, and Dr. Charles try to put the pieces together when a child is brought to the ED by his parents with severe bruising on the hands. Meanwhile, Dr. Manning grows suspicious of a mother who shows no emotion when her child is diagnosed with an intestinal condition. Also, Dr. Halstead is shocked to discover that one of his addicts is a doctor in the ED.
Dr. Manning and Dr. Marcel disagree over a patient involved in a domestic dispute. Dr. Charles and Dr. Curry step into the treatment of another doctor's patient, who is in a vegetative state, when they suspect that he may have been misdiagnosed. Dr. Halstead’s involvement at a safe injection site comes to a standstill. Also, Dr. Choi and April treat a patient who is allergic to her husband's semen.
Dr. Manning and Dr. Charles deal with a patient who is an actor pretending to be the father of a child at the mother's behest. They soon discover that the patient is intentionally poisoning himself as a part of his act. Dr. Choi and Dr. Marcel have differences when dealing with a prisoner patient on death row. Dr. Halstead grows worrisome about Hannah’s intent to give up opioids. Also, April and Dr. Sexton race against the clock, treating a patient who must keep running to sustain an elevated heart rate.
Dr. Marcel and Dr. Manning are kidnapped at gunpoint and forced into a van to help mend an escaped convict's broken leg. Meanwhile, Dr. Charles and Dr. Halstead are on opposite sides when dealing with a teenage patient exhibiting signs of schizophrenia. Dr. Choi and April discover the truth about a patient's scam. Dr. Halstead deals with the fallout from turning in Hannah. Also, Maggie receives news that she is in remission.
Dr. Manning and Dr. Charles tend to a child patient and suspect that the mother might be abusing her to get attention. After his daughter is suspended for vaping, Dr. Charles is forced to bring his daughter to the hospital. Meanwhile, after April begins to exhibit major stomach pains, Dr. Halstead recommends returning Dr. Asher. April reveals to Ethan that she kissed Crockett and Ethan and Marcel come to blows. Also, Maggie plans her wedding.
Sharon and Dr. Charles fear that Dr. Halstead is reverting to old habits when he begins to mistreat a patient with early onset Alzheimer's. Meanwhile, Maggie and Ben are worried about one of Ben's students when they discover that he hasn't been receiving treatment for his stomach. Dr. Manning and Dr. Marcel disagree over a patient regarding a difficult surgery. Also, April and Ethan's relationship begins to deteriorate following the fallout of April's confession.
Dr. Charles and Dr. Choi tend to a patient who fell off an overpass and Dr. Charles suspects that he might be suicidal, not a suspect in an investigation. Dr. Choi is forced to cross paths with Dr. Marcel and his patient, who is the key witness for the incident. Meanwhile, Dr. Halstead and Dr. Asher's relationship is put to the test when dealing with a pregnant patient who had brain cancer. Also, Maggie tries to cut through red tape in getting treatment for Ben's student. Meanwhile, things escalate as Dr. Choi punches Dr. Marcel and breaks up with April, leaving her devastated.
Dr. Marcel’s past comes to Chicago when two detectives from New Orleans issue a warrant for his arrest in connection to a cold murder case. Meanwhile, Dr. Halstead discovers that his patient is using a false identity to receive medical treatment after he has a life threatening allergic reaction. Dr. Choi puts his life in danger to treat a child with a gunshot wound. Also, while his daughter volunteers at the hospital, Dr. Charles deals with a patient who is intentionally stabbing himself with needles.
Production
On April 19, 2019, NBC announced that Colin Donnell (Dr. Connor Rhodes) and Norma Kuhling (Dr. Ava Bekker) would be departing the series due to creative reasons,[24] but they would both appear in the season 5 premiere to wrap up their characters' storyline.[25] The episode sees Connor depart Med after Ava kills herself in front of him. Series showrunners Andy Schneider and Diane Frolov said the scene in which Dr. Bekker takes her own life was the "ultimate revenge against the man that had rejected her."[26] Her death pushes Connor to leave Med, as he will always be reminded of everything that happened. Schneider and Frolov confirmed that the ending means Donnell could return to the show in the future.[26]
The season premiere also begins several ongoing storylines for the show's regulars. Dr. Natalie Manning (Torrey DeVitto) will be dealing with a traumatic brain injury she sustained in the season 4 finale. A time gap occurs between the first and second episodes, in which Dr. Manning recovers and returns to work.[26] Schneider and Frolov said the injury would prompt questions about Dr. Manning's ability to do her job well.[26] They also confirmed that Dr. Manning's memory will return and the audience will find out what she was planning on telling Dr. Halstead before the crash.[26]
Following a pregnancy scare for Dr. Choi (Brian Tee) and Nurse April Sexton (Yaya DaCosta) in the first episode, the idea of having a child is "definitely part of their storyline."[26] Meanwhile, Maggie Lockwood (Marlyne Barrett) is diagnosed with breast cancer and her treatment is a long-running storyline, which showcases new technology available to cancer patients.[26] Frolov commented, "We hope women will see Maggie and relate to her, especially when she goes through the biopsy. Maybe they'll see her go through it and realize it's not as terrible as you'd imagine in your head — it's painless. That's what we were hopeful for, that seeing someone go through it will help reduce fear."[26]
Dominic Rains joined the cast in the recurring role of Dr. Crockett Marcel, "a hard-partying doctor from Louisiana".[27] He made his first appearance in the season premiere.[27]
Crossover
In early September 2019, Chicago Fire showrunner Derek Haas confirmed a crossover event between Fire, Chicago Med and Chicago P.D..[28] Haas and producer Dick Wolf came up with the story, and Haas would write all three episodes, marking the first time he has written for Med since the spin-off episode "I Am the Apocalypse".[28] Haas explained that the shows would be "intertwined" and there will be scenes that would make viewers think they are watching "a Med scene, but it's in the Fire hour."[28] The plot revolves around "a mysterious illness", with Haas comparing it to The Poseidon Adventure or Independence Day, saying "where you've got a bunch of stories – cutting to one, cutting to another – and there's a mystery, both medical and criminal, going on that we’re trying to solve before it gets out of hand."[28] The crossover begins in Fire's fourth episode, before leading into Med and P.D. on the same day.[28]
Ratings
Viewership and ratings per episode of Chicago Med season 5
